This is a fonting improvement which works on some, but not all, Puppies. Where it works, it works very very well. But it costs 660 kilobytes before expansion, 2 megabytes after (I kept in the headers in case you want to compile things that depend on libfreetype), and so I suggest that, before you try these pets, first go here and see if iguleder's simple change brings your fonting up to greatness.
***
Several Puppy users have advised that my screen fonting improvement procedure (http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=10576) is too complicated. Here is an attempt to put it within reach.

First, please understand that you *must* go read http://freetype.sourceforge.net/patents.html. The subject of that webpage is the world's best method of screen font rendering, called "BCI hinting." Apple owns the patents. What these patents mean is, you are legally prohibited from giving yourself supreme perfect fonting, by installing one of the attached PET packages and following the three easy after-install steps, unless you either:

a) own the relevant BCI hinting license from Apple,
or
b) live in a country where none of the patents apply,
or
c) otherwise comply with Apple's legal intellectual property rights.

So: by installing one of the attached PET packages, you hereby promise, affirm, aver, avow, allege and cross-your-heart-'n'-hope-to-die, that you meet one of the above criteria. I am not responsible if you don't.

The attached PET packages do two things:

1. Installs a version of libfreetype which supports BCI hinting on fonts which can use it (which is, most TrueType and OpenType fonts).
2. Installs modified versions of the fonting configuration files /etc/fonts/font.conf and /etc/fonts/local.conf.

These PET package are designed to be uninstallable, but should be considered experimental, so the usual caveats apply. Back up everything before you try these. I am not responsible for whatever happens.

During the early weeks of release of these packages, it was discovered that boxpup-413, if running with XVesa as the X server, loses its native screencapture ability if a bci libfreetype .pet is installed. Uninstalling the .pet does not bring back the screencapture ability.

Therefore, provisionally, I am specifying these PET's only for use with Puppies running the XOrg X server. Try them on XVesa if you dare, but expect problems. Report back if you have success.

Plain black = on my agenda to create.
Blue = link to place below in this thread where you can download.
Red = BCI hinting has been tested and gives no improvement.

If you don't see it, feel free to ask for it!--that is, if you will PM me with a request to supply a PET package for your version, I will put it on my agenda to create, and post the link to it here, as I have time to fulfill the requests.

**Update: previously I was recommending that you change layout.css.dpi in Seamonkey to 96. I have since learned, that was a mistake. If you did so, change it back to its original value of -1, and then try 0, and see which works better.***

Users of the Opera browser, before doing these three easy after-install steps, should open an Opera tab, go to about:config, and in the "Quick Find" box enter

Code:

dpi

In the User Prefs --> Force DPI box, change the value (on my system, it was 96) to 0 (zero), Save. This forces Opera to render using the correct X settings, and will prevent Opera from opening at odd places on the screen after the three easy steps are completed.

and create a DisplaySize line that matches the width x height values shown by xdpyinfo. For example, if xdpyinfo shows 433x347 millimeters, you would make the line

Code:

DisplaySize 433 347

2. Edit the two files /root/.XDefaults and /root/.Xresources. If there is a line that says

Code:

Xft.dpi: 75

(value may vary), delete it.

Now in rxvt issue the command

Code:

xdpyinfo | grep 'resolution:'

and you will see something like

Code:

resolution: 101x108 dots per inch

Now edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf and, just under the DisplaySize line you created in Step 1, add this line (with your own values, of course):

Code:

Option "DPI" "101 x 108"

Note: if you use Menu --> Desktop -->Set global font size you will add an Xft.dpi setting to either /root/.Xdefaults or /root/.Xresources.

3. The /etc/fonts/local.conf which the PET package gives you, has subpixel rendering turned on. This improves fonting on LCD and TFT monitors. But if you use a CRT monitor, you want subpixel rendering turned off. To turn it off, open /etc/fonts/local.conf as text, scroll down to the line (line 16 in the current version)

Code:

<edit name="rgba" mode="assign"><const>rgb</const></edit>

and change it to read

Code:

<edit name="rgba" mode="assign"><const>none</const></edit>

Now restart X, and you should have almost the full font improvements as described in my original thread. The only thing lacking, as compared to my full instructions...is, you might not have perfect gamma balance. However, the vast majority of modern monitors don't need it.

May your eyes be pleased,
SHSLast edited by Sit Heel Speak on Tue 28 Jul 2009, 18:46; edited 19 times in total

Some font packs. These are all more-or-less free, depending. Each of these PET packages, when you install it, will bring up the default browser or text editor with the relevant EULA or license; by downloading these, you agree to either comply with the license or else uninstall the PET.

Note: Users of the OpenBox window manager should not use these; instead, use the fontpacks I have posted along with the bci PET for 413-r1 or 421-retro.

In my judgment the above two, and maybe the URW fonts below, are all you need for just browsing the news. For a good selection of eye-candy fonts, see this thread. For more of the ho-hum types of fonts, in case you wish to experiment:

For BoxPup, do not install any of the fontpacks posted above. At the moment I have converted only two, the Microsoft Core Webfonts and the full DejaVu set. If people want more fontpack PETs converted for suitability with 413-boxpup-r1, PM me.

If you install the MS Core and DejaVu fontpacks, you have around 20 new fonts to play with in Tools --> Preferences --> Advanced --> Fonts. Let me know if you find any particularly good combinations.

Before you do the three easy after-install steps in the second post in this thread, open an Opera tab, go to about:config, and in the "Quick Find" box enter

Code:

dpi

In the User Prefs --> Force DPI box, change the value (on my system, it was 100) to 0 (zero), Save. This forces Opera to render using the correct X settings, however, unlike version 9.63, Opera 10.00 beta still does sometimes open at odd places on the screen.Last edited by Sit Heel Speak on Fri 07 Aug 2009, 02:40; edited 4 times in total

I've been having some difficulties on my end (using boxpup 413)... the MS Core Webfonts and full DejaVu fonts PET's install without complaint, but I can no longer take a screenshot of my system after installing bci-k2.6.25.16-boxpup-4.1.3.pet.

Thought it might have something to do with setup files left over in /root/.packages (per your Boxpup 413r1 comments), but Boxpup 413 has no such directory. (Oops! See edit, a couple of lines down in this post.)

The bci-k2.6.25.16-boxpup-4.1.3.pet, by the way, does look like it installs -- and uninstalls via the Puppy package manager.

EDIT: The /root/.packages directory is there, it was a hidden file. However, no files named bci-boxpup... remain there after uninstalling.

If I can get the screenshot function back (with bci-k2.6.25.16-boxpup-4.1.3.pet still installed), I would gladly post a before and after image. Suggestions?

I don't know which screenshot-taker you are using. The way I gave OpenBox (***edited: using XOrg. The screenshot-taker in Boxpup-413 doesn't work, under XOrg, only XVesa ***) the ability to take this screenshot the OpenBox way was:

1. Use Puppy Package Manager to install xorg_xorg_full_dri-7.3 (X libraries are necessary for compile of imlib2)

Sorry, Sit Heel Speak. Your updated bci-k2.6.25.16-v2-boxpup-4.1.3.pet broke Boxpup 413's native Screen Snapshot function again and I don't have the private bandwidth to download the items required to compile and re-add the function.

I did confirm, however, that the files you mentioned in you post above are indeed on my system after .pet installation and reboot. The text Success Notification points to this thread, but references the above post specified for Opera users.

-Roy

EDIT: I am afraid this .pet did not cleanly uninstall; my Screen Snapshot function did not return following the .pet removal via the Package Manager and a reboot. Perhaps someone with unlimited bandwidth can jump in here?

Please bear with me here a bit longer; I'm not out of questions yet. Gracious of you to apologize, but no need!--I'm the one who is trying to be the guru, so if I'm not "gu" enough then I'm the one who climbs the rope!

One clue remains to be considered: from your information I infer that, for you, on a fresh install of Boxpup, the screencap utility works. But the screencap utility does not work on a fresh install for me. Not even before applying my .pet. So, I was presuming that it doesn't work for you either, and therefore mistakenly thought you must have installed an "aftermarket" one.

So I'm trying to figure out now...in what possible way could the libs that handle fonting...have a conflict with a utility that captures the screen? The only thing they have in common is, they both address video.

What handles video, and what both are making calls into, is the X server. So I think there must be some difference between the X servers that you and I are using. Perhaps if we can identify the crucial difference(s) between the X servers we use, then that may suggest the solution to this baffling problem.

So, my questions at this point are:

I've been choosing XOrg. Are you, by chance, choosing XVesa?

(***edited, a few minutes later: I am posting this edit from a fresh coexist install of boxpup-413, I chose XVesa, and,...well good night nurse, whaddya know...heh...openbox screen capture works.***)

(***edited, posting this edit from xvesa boxpup again. I have just tried installing the pet-compiled-under-xorg, on boxpup-413-xvesa, and, while the install goes smoothly, sure enough, the ability to screencapture is lost.

I will shortly compile bci-libfreetype in this boxpup, with xvesa, and if it works OK on my machine running boxpup-xvesa, will post that. I hope, Roy, you will be game for one more test flight... ***)

1. It doesn't matter what the X libs set is, i.e. whether running under XOrg or XVesa. libfreetype compiles identically under either version of X server. I did not know that before.

2. There is at least one Puplet, yours, on which it is simply not possible to run bci-hinting-enabled libfreetype if the XVesa X server is chosen.

This is a good lesson and I'm glad I learned it. I don't know yet whether it is true as a general rule, that no Puppy will run BCI-enhanced libfreetype under XVesa, or if this shortcoming is true only of some Puppies.

Anyway, thanks for trying. You still get a one-sixth share of 10% of any profit I make from it. Plus an extra 10% sportsmanship bonus

So...I will go ahead and start populating the list. But, thanks to your testing, I now know enough to give them names like

bci-k2.6.25.16-v1-xorg-boxpup-4.1.3.pet

so that I don't get deluged with complaints when people try to use it with xvesa!

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